Events: Monday, March 17, 2014

Danny Michel at the Dakota Tavern, March 5, 2013. Photo by Chris Hadfield.

Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Avenue)

8 p.m.

Veteran balladeer Danny Michel will be spending his March Mondays at the Dakota Tavern with his band and special surprise guests. The first edition’s guests included down-to-earth astronaut Chris Hadfield, who snapped the banner image above. Michel’s calling his residency School Night Mondays, and tickets are available in advance for each Monday (and will likely go fast).

Just about every bar and pub in Toronto with a semi-reasonable claim to Irish roots will be serving up Guinness and green beer for St. Patrick’s Day, of course. (Now Magazine‘s listings feature little green clovers to indicate St. Paddy’s Day events.) Many of these events will have live music, but the loudest will probably be the Mahones show at Tattoo Rock Parlour, celebrating both their new live album, A Great Night on the Lash, and the 20th anniversary of their album Draggin’ the Days.

If The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors has a mascot, it’s Emperor Yongzheng. The image of the 18th-century Chinese ruler dominates the promotional material of the exhibition, which is one of the centrepieces of the Royal Ontario Museum’s centennial year. His portrait certainly has visual appeal, but Yongzheng is also a figure associated with surprising elements of life within the former imperial palace.

Some of the many characters in the Dr. Seuss universe. Image courtesy of Seussville.com.

Casa Loma (1 Austin Terrace)

9:30 a.m.

You should not, would not miss this event if you’ve ever read Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or Green Eggs and Ham. Why? The Art of Dr. Seuss is coming to Casa Loma! Presented by Liss Gallery, the exhibit features over 30 paintings, drawings, and sculptures showcasing the mind of Theodor Seuss Geisel. Come during March Break (March 8-15) to take advantage of extra-Seussy programming, including storytelling, arts and crafts, and live performances.

Ichimaru playing the shamisen. Image courtesy of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Avenue)

11 a.m.

Ichimaru—once one of Japan’s most famous geishas—left the profession in the 1930s to pursue a career in entertainment. Never really leaving her past life, she became known for adorning herself in the traditional geisha garb when performing in concert or on television. “From Geisha to Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru” exhibits several decades’ worth of outfits and personal effects, shedding light on the woman behind the makeup.

Film critic Shlomo Schwartzberg is spending his Mondays for the next several months on a lecture series about the career of one of America’s greatest commercial filmmakers. Defining Greatness: Director Steven Spielberg launched on January 20 with a examination (and clips) of some of Spielberg’s greatest hits (E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Lincoln). On January 27, the series looks at early films like Duel and Jaws, before moving weekly through the rest of Spielberg’s body of work. There’s a flat fee of $90 for the whole series, or drop-in prices for single lectures.